TOPEKA — The Kansas House voted Wednesday to alter significant provisions of a bipartisan property tax reform bill granting the public a direct voice in decisions by local government to raise property taxes more than 3% annually.
The House agreed to an amendment lowering by half the signature threshold on protest petitions used to block a city or county from exceeding the cap. The House also passed an amendment deleting a $60 million state fund to compensate local units of government that held annual growth in property taxes under the cap. The revised bill advanced on a vote of 87-22.
Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chair of the House Taxation Committee, said the committee’s version of House Bill 2745 respected the necessity of local units of government to secure operating revenue that tracked with inflation.
He said the objective of the bill was to require cities or counties to more aggressively lower mill levies whenever property valuations surged.
“This is really the heart of the problem,” Smith said. “As assessed valuations rise, the mill levy doesn’t go down enough.”
Smith said it was important the 2026 Legislature take action to curb outlandish increases in property taxes at the local level. Exceptions to the bill’s cap would be made for economic development programs, abatements, annexations, new construction projects or changes in land use. In addition, the bill wouldn’t apply the lid to public school districts.
Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, convinced House colleagues to adopt the amendment deleting $60 million in state appropriations to reward local units of government for avoiding property tax increases higher than 3%. She expressed appreciation for the House committee’s work to pressure local government to control tax increases and spending, but argued the state “cannot afford” the $60 million appropriation. The bill would have attached a 2% annual inflation adjustment for the fund.
Williams and other House Republicans said the GOP-controlled Legislature was annually spending $500 million or $600 million more each year than was raised in state tax revenue.
“Every $60 million we approve here is $60 million not available for core state obligations, tax relief or reserve stability,” Williams said.
The House bill would have earmarked new state aid to local governments for public services, including roads and bridges, law enforcement, elections, public health and other services mandated by state law.
Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, D-Overland Park, said the state could afford to use some of its $2 billion rainy-day fund to bring about tax relief through local units of government. She also encouraged city and county officials in Johnson County to appreciate some legislators in Topeka were convinced the original draft of the bill was overly generous to local governments.
“I just want you to get a bit of a reality check here and see that we have colleagues that even think this is too much,” she said.
Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said he didn’t appreciate the $60 million property tax relief account nor the idea of drawing down the state’s emergency fund.
“That fund was not created to backfill spending regardless if its something for social services or property taxes,” Waymaster said.
The House also accepted an amendment proposed by Rep. Shannon Francis, R-Liberal, to lower the bar for voters to advance petitions to thwart annual property tax increases greater than 3%.
Under the revised bill, 5% of the number of a taxing jurisdiction’s voters who participated in the previous election would have to sign a protest petition to block a property tax increase above the cap. The original version of the bill set that signature requirement at 10% of voters in a previous election.
Francis said the reason for the adjustment was Seward County’s decision to adopt a 41% increase in property taxes for 2026.
“My community is honestly the poster child for why we have to do something,” he said. “The people in my community felt betrayed. They felt like they had no voice.”
Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, said the 10% threshold should be restored. He said a 5% petition requirement would make it too easy for a fraction of voters to undermine tax increases to complete projects supported by the public. The 5% threshold would make it especially challenging for smaller communities to finance priority projects with property tax revenue, he said.
